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46 WHEREAS, Section 626(a)(1) of the Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984, as amended
<br />47 (the "Cable Act"), 47 U.S.C. § 546(a)(1), provides that if a written renewal request is submitted
<br />48 by a cable operator during the 6-month period which begins with the 36th month before
<br />49 franchise expiration and ends with the 30th month prior to franchise expiration, a franchising
<br />50 authority shall, within six months of the request, commence formal proceedings to identify the
<br />51 future cable-related community needs and interests and to review the performance of the cable
<br />52 operator under its franchise during the then current franchise term; and
<br />53
<br />54 WHEREAS, by letters dated October 11, 2010, and November 23, 2010, from Comcast to each
<br />55 of the Member Cities, including this City, Comcast invoked the formal renewal procedures set
<br />56 forth in Section 626 of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546; and
<br />57
<br />58 WHEREAS, the City and the other Member Cities informed the Commission, by resolution,
<br />59 that they want the Commission and/or its designee(s) to commence, manage and conduct the
<br />60 formal renewal process speci�ed in Section 626(a)-(g) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(a)-(g),
<br />61 on their behalf; and
<br />62
<br />63 WHEREAS, the City has affirmed, by resolution, the Commission's preexisting authority
<br />64 under the Joint Powers Agreement to take any and all steps required or desired to comply with
<br />65 the Franchise renewal and related requirements of the Cable Act, Minnesota law and the
<br />66 Franchises; and
<br />67
<br />68 WHEREAS, the Joint Powers Agreement empowers the Commission and/or its designee(s) to
<br />69 conduct the Section 626 formal franchise renewal process on behalf of the city and to take such
<br />70 other steps and actions as are needed or required to carry out the farmal franchise renewal
<br />71 process; and
<br />72
<br />73 WHEREAS, the Commission adopted Resolution No. 2011-02 commencing formal franchise
<br />74 renewal proceedings under Section 626(a) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(a), and authorizing
<br />75 the Commission or its designee(s) to take certain actions to conduct those Section 626(a)
<br />76 proceedings; and
<br />77
<br />78 WHEREAS, the Commission perfarmed a detailed needs assessment of the Member Cities'
<br />79 and their communities' present and future cable-related needs and interests and has evaluated
<br />80 and continues to evaluate Comcast's past performance under the Franchises and applicable laws
<br />81 and regulations, all as required by Section 626(a) of the Cable Act, 47 U.S.C. § 546(a); and
<br />82
<br />83 WHEREAS, the Commission's needs ascertainment and past performance review produced the
<br />84 following reports: The Buske Group's "Community Needs Ascertainment — North Suburban
<br />85 Communications Commission (Arden Hills, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, Little Canada,
<br />86 Mounds View, New Brighton, North Oaks, Roseville, St. Anthony and Shoreview, Minnesota)"
<br />87 (July 15, 2013) (the "Needs Assessmeni Report'); Group W Communications, LLC's, telephone
<br />88 survey and report titled "North Suburban Communications Commission Cable Subscriber
<br />89 Survey (September 2011)" (the "Telephone Survey Report"); CBG Communications, Inc.'s,
<br />90 "Final Report - Evaluation of Comcast's Subscriber System, Evaluation of the Existing
<br />91 Institutional Netwark and Evaluation of PEG Access Signal Transport and Distribution for the
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